School: O'Brennan, Baile Mhic Ealgóid, Tráighlí
- Location:
- Tonreagh Lower, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Loingsigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0444, Page 413
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- Basket making was an old craft that has practically disappeared from this parish of recent years. Nancy Mahony (Carrignafeela) says that "This craft was very much practised by Denis O Sullivan of Ashill. They used to go miles away gathering twigs through the week, and leave them seasoning for a month. Then they would make the baskets and take them to the nearest markets of Tralee & Castleisland where they used sell them at 3 or 4 shillings each." The craft is still carried on in the same district through the artistic skill of the people and the knowledge of intertwining by patterns has been last. In connection with basket making night be mentioned hamper making, & other wicker-work such as the wicker work cradle.
Bridie Moloney says that there were several varieties of baskets of wickerwork. You had the (a) chiabh or common hamper and the (b) sgiath or shallow basket (c) egg baskets (d) bread baskets. The "cliabh" was used for drawing potatoes and also for removing turf in a bog. The sgiath might be used for picking potatoes after differs and removing them to a pit or in washing potatoes in a stream. In this sgiath you had two handles. The cliabh and the sgiath were made on rough line but you had also high class ones made of peeled twigs & the egg basket and bread baskets were made of variegated twigs. The Sullivans and Mac Quinns of Gortaleen were baskets makers
- Collector
- Nancy Mahony
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Carrignafeela, Co. Kerry
